Mice, mice, baby

This article from Scientific American amuses me. The subject matter is only moderately interesting, but I find the description of the experiment highly entertaining for some reason.

The scientists used female mice incapable of producing AFP and set them loose in a Plexiglass aquarium with a sexually active male. To give them extra incentive to mate, they also received injections and capsules of female hormones. But, unlike their wild cousins, the AFP-deficient mice showed little interest in the male's advances and their brains had fewer cells devoted to producing certain chemicals critical to reproduction, just like males. Furthermore, when placed in a cage with a sexually receptive female, the mice without AFP tried to mimic their male counterparts by mounting the female and engaging in pelvic thrusting.